Afterthoughts of initiatives/workshops - “Design of urban environment and architectural heritage reuse: the role of the "genius loci" within the "Life Beyond Tourism" agenda” and "City as an educational polygon - SMART CITY, case of Florence organised in cooperation to CISDU seminar "The City and a River”

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

This student's workshop is included in the general program of the “Degree & Profession” Florence World Festival.

Cultural field: Urban space analysis on visions of transmission of knowledge, conservation and creativity, branding the city, etc. with a topic "Identity of our City, Region" and “Genius Loci” phenomenon within the electronic communication era and the issues of educational/cultural tourism, destination selection and trail choice. The issue of “Identity” and “branding” in the light of the phenomenon of ARCHITOURISM, (tourism attracted by architecture and architectural heritage)".

The experience of the “BRAND” of historic city (as created as “Myth of Florence” the fashions in 18th and 19th century and raised interest in art and civilization of Renaissance Florence). At the present time of globalization and transition in East Europe the question about the fashions change to accord to the issues of knowledge transmission by meditation of education and media, today’s influence of education – formal, informal and permanent, to the choice of tourist destinations.

Duration: 5 sessions of 2h30minutes.
Number of participants: 50 at most

University can participate with group of students and professor which will be selected by the Project Leader. For any other information about the organisation of the workshop please refer to the Project Co-ordinator Prof. Milan Prodanovic

Methods and techniques:by walking and observing the museum city, - empirical observation
by visiting Florentine art galleries and museums (program of the workshop),
by detail survey (sketching, photographing) of architecture, squares, streets, events, people and groups etc.
by visiting institutions, archives, libraries.
by discussing with colleagues

Theme 1 Design of urban environment
Design of urban environment as agenda for improvement of urban environment, new and existing, with dual goals, improving quality for citizens and local residents and PLACE PROMOTION to attract investment, tourists and migrants as places desirable for living and working efficiently. Identities reinvented within the activities of city management in BRANDING THE CITY with the influence of modern media. Video perception and a city. Experience of Renaissance City the sense of space (walking distances in function of face to face communication), of scale (size of public spaces, of squares, width of streets, proportions, heights of buildings), ornament (style as expression of belonging to a group), rigidity (expression of security), overall cultural determinations etc.. possible symbolics of tradition fo free city (self-governing):

Theme 2 Architectural heritage reuse and SMART CITY agenda
To examine the possible role of urban space and content of buildings (museums, art galleries, shops etc..) in educational process in view the philosophy CONSERVATION THROUGH REUSE, and possible issues to be tackled:
= Educational institutions in the city, University Campus or dispersed pattern of knowledge reproduction integrated with city life,
= Contemporary MUSEUM, "storage of art objects" or "arena for participatory enlightening event"

Theme 3 The role of the "genius loci"
A phenomenology of the genius loci is inspired by the work of Christian Norberg-Schulz who has brought back the ancient notion of the genius loci or 'spirit of place' into architecture. 'Intentions in Architecture' (1963) and 'Existence, Space and Architecture' (1971) Norberg-Schulz had already thought and written about experiential and psychic notions such as 'existential foothold' and 'existential space', but it was not until 1979 that he began to make use of the notion genius loci. this concept is relevant for architecture and for ethnography and anthropological theory. 'Genius loci. Towards a phenomenology of architecture' (Italian original 1979; English translation 1980).

Theme 4 "Life Beyond Tourism" agenda
Educational tourism, Patterns of reproduction of knowledge and destination selecting:
Role of excursions, visits and workshops in educational process, suggestions for the possible content of the workshops, questions to be answered; Renaissance and Balkans, Memory and creativity, Shaping the collective memory,
Educational process in the era of new ICT (Information communication Technology) from previous knowledge (it is expected that students would have some knowledge about art and architecture of Renaissance Florence),
Spectacular
Escapist
Exotic
Authentic